Rights Groups Warn US Immigration Custody Deaths Hit Decade High

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The number of deaths in Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody has hit its highest point in over ten years, according to advocacy groups on Thursday. Since President Donald Trump took office in January 2025, at least 52 individuals have died in ICE detention facilities, a joint report from Human Rights Watch and Physicians for Human Rights revealed.

Trump’s focus on cracking down on illegal immigration has led to mass arrests and the expansion of detention centers. Between January 2025 and January 2026, the annual mortality rate in ICE custody increased by 140% compared to the previous year—an increase not proportional to the rise in the number of detainees, the report stated.

This death rate is nearly four times higher than during the final years of President Joe Biden’s administration and more than double the rate from Trump’s first term from 2017 to 2021. Reagan Williams, a researcher at HRW and co-author of the report, stated, “We’ve seen the death rate in ICE custody skyrocket.” Williams criticized the administration’s response, noting that instead of addressing the crisis and safeguarding detainees’ health, resources are being funneled into prolonging detention.

One case within the report involved a 44-year-old man from Ukraine who suffered a stroke while detained and did not receive appropriate medical attention, despite showing clear signs of a medical emergency, including seizure-like movements. Another incident described was of a 39-year-old Mexican man who died from cardiac arrest, likely stemming from septic shock after his requests for treatment for a severe infected abscess were ignored.

ICE has faced ongoing criticism over its aggressive enforcement tactics. This year, the agency experienced leadership turmoil after officers in Minneapolis fatally shot two U.S. citizens. A DHS spokesperson, overseeing ICE, refuted the claims of increased deaths, stating, “Death rates in custody under the Trump administration are about 0.009% of the detained population, consistent with the trend over the past decade.” They claimed that despite rapid expansion of detention beds, ICE provides better healthcare than most prisons holding American citizens and that for many undocumented immigrants, this represents their best healthcare experience.

However, the report suggests that as detention facilities have grown, the quality of medical care has lagged behind, exacerbated by overcrowding and longer detention periods. Katherine Peeler, an assistant professor at Harvard Medical School and co-author of the report, said, “The U.S. government is failing on every front to protect ICE detainees.” She added, “When we review ICE and hospital records, it’s clear there’s a shocking neglect of duty of care.”

The report also noted a troubling increase in suicides within ICE custody, recording seven deaths by suicide from January 2025 to January 2026, up from just one in 2024. HRW examined death trends from October 2015 through June 2026 and compared them with data dating back to 2004, the year ICE was established. Interviews with family members, attorneys, and former inmates provided additional insights.

Physicians for Human Rights analyzed the medical circumstances surrounding 39 deaths during the same period, raising concerns about care quality and preventability.